Dept welcomes Motsoeneng 'wife gift' probe

Hlaudi Motsoeneng

Hlaudi Motsoeneng

Published Jun 19, 2014

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Rebecca Jackman

THE Commission for Gender Equality is investigating a complaint regarding SABC acting chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng allegedly accepting a wife as a gift.

Motsoeneng was given a wife, a cow and a calf by Venda chiefs in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, on June 11, the Sowetan newspaper reported on Friday.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said it was “a ceremonial issue” and Motsoeneng was there for a stakeholder engagement process after which he was offered the “gifts”.

Motsoeneng and other SABC executives were meeting a group of traditional leaders and healers, Mudzi wa Vhurereli ha Vhavenda.

“It was offered and he thought it was ceremonial and he left it at that,” said Kganyago.

About 10 girls stood in a line and Motsoeneng “chose” 22-year-old human resources management student Vanessa Mutswari. He posed with the bare-breasted woman before leaving – without her.

Kganyago said he was with Motsoeneng and they left together after the event from which “he did not take that woman”.

Commission spokesman Jabu Baloyi said it would not provide any details “on the merits and the demerits of the case” so as not to “prejudice the investigation currently under way”.

He said a public statement would be issued and the complainant and “anyone else interested” would be informed of the outcome after the investigation had been completed.

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